Dragons' World

The phrase “here be dragons,” or some derivation thereof, is familiar to many fantasy fansand even to some who have only experienced the genre in passing. But where did the phrase really originate?In general, the phrase is simply a reference to the traditional practice (starting sometime in the middle ages) of drawing mythological creatures like sea serpents in the blank areas of maps. These figures represented the unknown mysteries of these spaces, and also served as visual placeholders.However, there is one known example of the phrase actually appearing in history. The Lenox Globe, constructed sometime between 1503 and 1507, features the Latin phrase “HC SVNT DRACONES,” or (hic sunt dracones)literally, “here be dragons,” along the eastern coast of Asia. An 1879 article suggested that “dracones” actually referred to the Dagroians, who “feasted upon the dead and picked their bones.” However a translation of the article, also in 1879, says that Marco Polo described the Kingdom of Dagroian in Sumatra, far away from the phrase’s location on the globe. Some now believe that the phrase referred to the common tales of Komodo dragons in the Indonesian islands.Although the phrase itself does not appear on any other known maps, images of dragons themselves do, such as on the T-O Psalter Map (c. 1250 CE), the Borgia map (c. 1430 CD), and the 19^th-century Jishin-no-ben Japanese map. A more common phrase found in unknown territories was “HIC SVNT LEONES”"here are lions.”Despite the lack of historical precedent, the phrase has been snagged by the fantasy and sci-fi communities, whether in its original or an adapted form. For example, the MMORPG Runescape features phrases on its map such as “Here be penguins” and “Here be sand.” On a map of the popular Warhammer world, the Southern Wastes feature the phrase “Here be Daemons.”There have been at least two books featuring the phrase in the title. The 1985 historical novel Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman is a love story set in medieval times featuring the Plantagenet kings. It has been noted for its historical accuracy and characterization. James A. Owen’s 2008 fantasy novel Here, There Be Dragons is the first in a series based around a fictional book called The Imaginarium Geographica, which features the geographic locations of all the areas from myth and fantasy.